Summer Dreams
by SiegLord
Summary: They say a lot can happen over summer vacation. Friends can change, romances can change, and even perceptions of reality can be shattered. Sometimes, it can all be a bit overwhelming. AU. SxK, RxN.
1. Final Marks

**Alright, first story I'm posting here. In case the little Author-thing didn't give it away, I'm SiegLord, and I shall be providing you this evening with the first part of a story that I am hoping to work on throughout the year or so. Of course, school had to get super hard over the past week, and it doesn't seem like it'll be getting much better anytime soon, so updates might be slow because of that. Still, I'll by trying my best to tell this long, epic story (worst comes to worst, you'll see a lot of updates in summer!).**

**First I need to shout out to _Reedeming Endeavor_ and his fantastic tale that is Milk and Marshmallows. That story alone got me out of a terrible mood (before school got tough again that is) and fully inspired me to take up writing once again. I just hope that my effort hasn't been for naught!  
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**Anyway, I won't say all that much more. Just review if you'd like and comment about what you think. So far I'm hoping to have the POV swap around a lot, and we'll start with the main character of this fun little story!  
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* * *

"I'm screwed."

There were few other words that could really capture the way I felt at that moment of pure disbelief and dread. There weren't many other ways to express just what I realized in that point of despair, the pain already reaching up through my body and clutching my heart. In fact, I hadn't even meant to say such a thing out loud (stupid slip of the tongue), but there it was: a free floating statement that said so little while saying everything about the small packet I held in my hand. Of course, it wasn't as if my statement had gone un-noticed; my two best friends had quickly turned to look at me, and I couldn't help but sigh as I was greeted by the looks on both of their faces.

So very opposite, yet each so very demoralizing. I mean, give me a break! We all know I am the dumb one!

"Heh, seems like I win again Sora." As usual, Riku was acting all cool and collected, the silver haired boy snatching away my paper before I could even react. Watching as the boy's bright blue eyes glanced across the first sheet, I couldn't help but grimace a bit as a grin came to his face. Once again, my best friend of all time had found yet another way to one-up me.

You know, if I wasn't such a bright, cheerful, and smart person (okay, ignore that last part), I really would be suffering from an inferiority complex by now! But nope, Riku is just one of those people that I had to beat, be it in our weekly races or academics. Apparently however, Riku was winning when it came to the second aspect of our rivalry, the boy even laughing a bit as he got to the last page.

"I see you made the same mistakes I did last year. You know, she isn't too good about keeping her finals different from year to year. Heck, you should have come to me and I would have given you some of the answers." Damn that Riku, being a year older than me! Just because he is going to be a senior this fall, he thinks he can be so cool!

"You do realize that if either of you helped one another cheat, I'd stop being your friend, right?" Ouch! Kairi, why are you so harsh to me? Then again, from the grimace that matched my own now upon Riku's face, I could tell that the red-head's words hadn't been neglected by my best friend either. Wonder quickly filled my mind as I dreamed of a day where I might be the smart one of our group, Kairi and Riku begging me for advice (that would be a first). You know, that would be pretty awesome!

Here I was daydreaming again, both Kairi and Riku giving me a weird look as they studied my smiling face. Yeah, that's right you two. Continue to accentuate how much I suck at math in this cruel, real world. I'll stick with my nice and cuddly imagination for now.

Such good things can only last for so long. A whack to the head from Riku's right hand was all it took to snap me out of my daze, my hands quickly going to my head as I took a step back, feeling the pain beneath my spiky brown hair. Yes, I have tried gel in the past, but really, it doesn't stay down at all! I don't like to believe in the supernatural, but I think my hair might be possessed or something! Even in my earliest years, my mom could never keep it down.

Still, it is the best babe magnet I have on me (so I haven't gone on a single date yet, big deal).

It wasn't hard to find the spot Riku had so cruelly damaged, Riku bursting out into laughter as he realized how pathetic, err, just how I looked. Of course, Kairi just sighed again, my heart dropping as I saw that my test now rested in her hands.

"K-Kairi, you know I studied hard for that, right? I mean sorry, but I think I was dropped on my head while I was little!" That or, I forgot that I had my Geometry Final on Thursday instead of Friday. Guess what day I had planned to study…

"Sora, no excuses!" She said, the rather pretty red-head shaking her head as she pointed at the paper, color slowly draining away from my face as I looked at the red ink that came together to form a letter grade. "Honestly Sora, a D on your final isn't going to look very good. I mean, just wait until your mom finds out all about this! I bet she'll be upset too! I mean, it's bad enough that-"

Here she goes again, throwing _that_ card back on the table. So what if I had a deadbeat dad who left my mom before I was even born? So what if my mom has worked two jobs all throughout my life to support me (well, a lot actually. My mom is so awesome like that!)? I still do my best in school, and I didn't need to be reminded that my grade was lower than my mom would find satisfactory. Regardless, I didn't need Kairi reminding me how hard my mom worked, so I simply snatched my paper away and stuffed it in my bag, cursing my teacher one last time for not even caring that I had brought her an apple on the last day of school.

If only bribery really did work…

"Well Kairi, I'm sorry that I'm not some math wizard like you!"

Who am I kidding, Kairi is a genius. Straight A's since Middle School (before that, we didn't have grades), honors every year, student of the month oh so many times (I'm pretty sure she didn't win it every month because that would just demoralize the rest of us), and already receiving scholarships with each passing day. Oh God I love you Kairi…not like that, though. She's one of my best friends, after all. Of course I should be proud of her, even if she isn't the nicest when it comes to my grades. Sure, she really did help me boost them up, but I had to wonder what this final blow would do.

"It is just one grade! E-Even if it is about 30%" I said quietly, hoping I could at least pull off a C or so that my mom didn't make me go to summer school. Then again, I honestly doubted she could afford to send me there. "Last year, Riku only got a C- on his Geometry Final! That's not too big a difference!" Oh, you say that Sora, but your report card will show things to be quite different.

You know, things have always sort of been like this now that I think about it. Kairi with her flawless, gold plated, diamond-encrusted report card, Riku with his casual bunch of Bs and a few As and Cs here or there, and my Cs taking up the rear (hey, I have gotten some As and Bs before! Just the third letter in the alphabet seems to love me or something). Maybe destiny wasn't all that nice to me after all.

"Besides, that's one class Kairi! See!" I added, now waving another piece of paper in her face. "Hah! B+ on my English one!" For once (and much to my shock), a smile came to Kairi's face, her azure eyes shimmering a bit as the girl looked over the paper.

"That's great Sora! You really did pull it off in that class this year!" Unfortunately, her good mood didn't last too long as her smile fell, the girl shaking her head a few times at me. "But really, you should have done much better in math. Even after I tutor you, I guess you are just pretty helpless, huh?" She said, Riku continuing to laugh at my expense.

That traitor! Why was he always taking Kairi's side on these things? Yeah, Kairi is the smart one, but come on, no one knows how to have fun like me!

And once again, it would appear that fun would take precedence over intelligence, my eyes now turning up at the sky as I let my mind wander away, knowing that this would be the last day for a long time where I'd wear this itchy, stupid uniform.

"Today," I thought, "My summer vacation finally begins. Seventy six days."

* * *

"So Sora, what do you think? You are going to enter aren't you?" Wow Riku, do you have any other dumb questions you'd like to ask me? Seriously, you know I've entered the Struggle Tournament ever since I was eligible (two years ago), so why the hell wouldn't I this year? The three of us had stopped walking along Market Street now, our eyes directed at the poster detailing the clash of two blue struggle swords.

You know, it doesn't seem like they hurt, until you find yourself on the other end of the hard-foam swords. The bruises from last tournament took four weeks to wear off.

"Of course I'm entering! There's no way that anyone else is getting that trophy this year!" Kairi simply shook her smiling little head as Riku grunted in approval, already prepared to cower in fear at the beat down he'd be receiving at my hands.

"If you can help it, Sora, don't get knocked out in the first round this year, alright?" Kairi said, pure malice in that soft voice of hers as she walked on, Riku following right after the girl now as I stood in place. Okay, so what if I had lost in the first round these last two years?

Who cares if I somehow lost to an eight year old who had disguised himself to enter the tournament?

"Kairi! Riku! Sora!" The three of us, quickly turned to greet the other trio that now approached our little group, Kairi receiving a hug from the hyperactive brunette who smiled at us, her curved brown hair even bouncing a bit as she took a step away.

Oh Selphie, I can already tell that you forgot your pills this morning (and really, why am I always the last person whose name you call?). Of course, the green-eyed brunette would have none of my thoughts as she looked at us, her two companions quickly catching up to the skinny girl.

You know, I'm just realizing this before, but most of my friends seem to enjoy travelling in threes, with two boys and one girl. Is this some sort of grand scheme played by destiny? Maybe it's some sort of evil conspiracy! Regardless, Selphie's two male companions quickly caught up to us, Riku smirking as he clasped hands with both of his fellow swim team members (to be fair, Selphie is on the girl's swim team).

"So _captain_, we don't have to practice every day this summer, right? I mean, last year it was pretty harsh, having to get up at 6 A.M. in the summer to do laps and all that for three hours straight. I mean, sure you made us sandwiches for free, but I'd rather just goof off this time around. You know what I mean, Sora?" I hear you Tidus my man, I thought quietly as I gave him a thumbs up, the sandy-blonde haired boy grinning a bit as he stretched out, already having removed the tie from his uniform (why the hell hadn't I done that yet!?).

Tidus is like me in several ways, always seeking fun and laughs, although he is pretty serious about swimming despite his laziness in terms of practicing. Almost on cue, the third member of their trio put Tidus in a headlock, starting to give him a noogie as the younger boy tried to escape.

"Yah man, I mean trainin' is fun and all, but I need to get a job this summer." If I hadn't known Wakka for ten years now, I'd start cracking up at his accent, but thankfully, a little something called habituation and extinction had occurred to rid me of that reflex (see, I'm not all that stupid!). Anyway, Wakka is Riku's age, the tanned, orange-haired boy originally from the Destiny Islands. He had moved here awhile back, although his family still makes annual trips there. Wakka is usually fun to be around too; sort of like the 'Riku' of his group in being the oldest and wisest (did I just call Riku wise? Scratch that comment!).

Plus, he is the only one of us to have a girlfriend, even if she does live on the Destiny Islands and we have never met her before. Of course, he always flaunts her picture around, and I can't say I understand how a guy as cheery and easy-going as Wakka could ever end up with a girl who dresses in all black and appears, well, pretty gothic to me. Still, he says she is nice, so I guess I should stop judging others like that, huh?

"I know what you mean, Wakka. I need to get a job too, and with everyone our age needing one, I know that this job hunt isn't going to be easy for anyone." As usual, Riku stated the facts just as they were, something I had to give him credit for. I hadn't even thought about getting a job before then, but realizing that the munny I made could really help my mother, well, I was pumped! Of course, it was only after these thoughts invaded my mind that I realized what Riku had just said about the difficulty of finding a job.

Kairi had told us a few days before that she had already secured a job, although she refused to say where or what she was doing. And apparently, a few others of our friends had jobs as well, although some were sort of to be expected. I mean, Naminé's family owns an art store, and knowing how talented she is, she'll be rich by the end of this summer. Still, that didn't really help my situation at all, I thought as we continued to walk down Market Street, Selphie and Kairi a few yards ahead of us as they did some window shopping. Because _this_ is how all summer vacations should start.

"You know Sora, you could always go work at the skate shop, right?" Geez, where the hell did he pop up from!? I mean, it wasn't a bad thing that my cousin showed up when he did, but a little more warning would have been nice next time. Seeing the expression on my face, the spiky blonde haired boy simply cracked up, almost holding his stomach as he laughed.

Yeah, you just keep laughing Roxas, and I'll tell your parents all about where you really went that night we were supposed to have a sleepover (I had prepared s'mores and everything too!). We'll see who is laughing then.

Anyway, as I said before, Roxas is my cousin, and it isn't too hard to see the family resemblance. Sure, his hair spikes differently, but we share the same blue eyes and body builds. Roxas is actually one of three triplets on my mother's side, even though I hardly ever see the other two. Roxas goes to public school like me, but due to some past problems that even I am not very well informed of, his two slightly older brothers attend private school over near Sunset Terrace.

Roxas and I are close in terms of cousins, really almost like brothers in many ways. We share many similar interests, and simply enjoy being around one another. Although, I can't say I really share the boy's obsession with skating, the boy even having worked at a skateboard shop during his free time (he also seems to have this thing for a really weird ice cream flavor). "Come on now Sora, you know you want to try it out."

"Give it up, Roxas. You know Sora. Two minutes in and he'd be covered with bruises." Why so harsh Riku? Why do you always have to backstab me like that? It really isn't very fair! So I'm a bit clumsy, big deal! Doesn't mean I can't skateboard or anything. And besides, working at the shop would just entail me fixing and selling boards, although the more I thought about it, the less the job really did appeal to me after all.

"Hey Roxas, I haven't seen too much of you recently. Been hanging with the usual crowd again?" I asked, truly curious about what my cousin had been up to these days. True, he did spend a lot of time with the 'usual crowd' as I had put it, but he usually hung out with us at least three days a week, although for the last several weeks it had usually been one day tops. "And don't even start to go off about finals and studying to me! I saw you online last night!" By looking at Roxas' face, I already knew that I had the answer I needed, a grin quickly spreading as I looked at my cousin. "So, I take it you and Naminé -"

"Give it a rest Sora, geez." Roxas said, a slight blush on his face as he looked away from me, staring at his shoes as he attempted to ward off the uncomfortable feelings that must have been within him. That's right Roxas, look down at your shoes and only confirm what I knew to be true.

Roxas' friendship had started with that of Naminé and his best friend Axel at a pretty young age. Much to my shock, however, Roxas and Naminé had developed _romantic_ feelings for one another, the two having officially started dating three months ago on Naminé's sixteenth birthday. Naminé is another good friend of ours (Kairi's best 'girl' friend for certain), although she is usually busy helping out in her family's art store, limiting our time together.

Hmm, now that I think about it, what if Riku or I developed feelings for Kairi the same way Roxas had for Naminé? That would just be weird, huh?

My train of thought was interrupted as Roxas started to speak again, Riku and me sticking back with him while Wakka, Tidus, Selphie and Kairi continued on ahead. "I mean, I've just been spending a bit more time with her, that's all. Is it wrong for a boyfriend to want to be nice around the person he loves?" Touche, Roxas. Still, his blushing face just made me smile; Riku grinning a bit as well as he stared at my cousin.

"Well, I'm glad that you two are at least together. Took you long enough." Riku said with a grin as he pat Roxas on the back, the blonde boy's blush only darkening a bit as he took in the praise. "Still, I doubt Sora will be any better at fixing boards than you were. If I'm not mistaken, you got fired, right?"

Oh, how that story remains in my heart.

Roxas had been working one glorious Thursday afternoon, when the lack of business gave him the idea that it would be okay to do some boarding around time. Not only did he end up busting one of the new high-end skateboards the store had received, but he had also left the store unlocked, although thankfully nothing was stolen. Unfortunately for my cousin, the manager had made a surprise inspection, and Roxas had been fired upon his return. "I know you get a good discount if your family works at one, but honestly, I don't think Sora wants to go through all the hardships of board maintenance." Amen, Riku, you awesome dude.

"Hey, I thought we said we wouldn't bring up that little incident up from now on." Roxas clearly still felt some guilt about his action in the past, the boy no longer working for the shop that also happened to have been his favorite. Kairi seemed to catch up on his negative vibes as she approached us, lightly punching both Riku and I (sorry Kairi, but it'll take much more than that to hurt this body of steel) as she smiled at my cousin (why does he get all the attention?)

Roxas was in the middle of explaining how Naminé was actually a bit under the weather when he spun around, his hand arcing upward towards his face as he caught the red and black Frisbee that a moment later would have collided with his head. I couldn't help from jumping back due to how sudden everything had been, and much to my relief, Kairi had done the same, proving once again that if I am in fact a wimp, I am not alone.

"Simply amazing, Roxas. You really are getting better, huh?" Roxas could only grin as he quickly whipped the Frisbee back at its owner, the spiky red-haired teen catching it with ease as he smirked. Axel is a rather interesting fellow, being a full two years older than me and just having graduated from high school (that lucky jerk). As Roxas' best friend, Axel often hangs around my cousin, and in such ways he has also become one of my friends as well. The lanky teen's green eyes quickly looked at the four of us as he stretched out, Kairi letting out a sigh of relief that matched my own when we realized there was no danger.

Wait, did we just sigh in unison? That's pretty strange.

"So, this is what you kids are all up to, huh? Last day of school and you just go window shopping? How boring is that?" Of course, much to our chagrin, Axel had graduated a full two weeks before we had gotten out, the fiery red-head spinning around the Frisbee on his right index finger now as he let out a yawn. "Roxas, you remember that you promised to be up at the tower at six, right?" Axel asked, Roxas nodding with a smile as he stared at his best friend.

Ah yes, quality time with Roxas and Axel, their twice-a-week ritual in which the boys sit atop the Central Station clock tower eating sea-salt ice cream (seriously, they like that stuff? Just the name makes me cringe!). You know, if Naminé didn't exist, you'd think there was almost something between those two (wait a sec, do Riku and I look the same way!?).

"Don't worry Axel. I've…how do you put it, got it memorized." Roxas said as Axel laughed a bit, the two soon laughing in unison. Looking around, I realized that Selphie's little group had already gone ahead, most likely to head home and get changed, something which I quickly berated myself for not doing. I hated dressing up for school, be it the itchy white shirt or the ever-restricting tie. Damn Axel, wearing his nice comfortable T-Shirt and jacket, combined with those airy cargo pants. Ugh, how I wanted to change!

"Come on Riku. At this rate, Sora will blow a fuse if he doesn't get into his nice comfortable clothes." Kairi said with a giggle as she walked ahead, the angelic sound echoing throughout my-

Riku laughed once again at my expense as he nodded, following after her now as I took up the rear. It was almost like this order was all that mattered, being the order of best to worst grades, of the way Selphie would call after us…am I really just last place!? Thankfully, Kairi noticed this as she let out a small sigh, now looking at me as she shook her head.

"Come on Sora, school is over, so let's just have some fun, okay?" Now that is what I like to hear, my famous grin causing her to giggle a bit. "Alright, I'll meet you two over at the beach. I have something special planned."

* * *

"R-Riku?" I said quietly about a half-an-hour later as I stared at the silver haired boy, both of us having now changed into much more casual (and comfortable!) clothing. Being that it was currently quite hot out, I had chosen a rather light outfit consisting of a red shirt, some red shorts, and a small black, white and blue vest to top it all off. Riku on the other hand had chosen a large yellow shirt with a black X across both front and back, a pair of jeans also adorning my best friend's body. "Where's Kairi?" I asked aloud, worry visible in my eyes as I stared at him. "I thought she was with you!" Even as I spoke, Riku remained with only his back greeting me as he looked out across the ocean, Twilight Town's beaches truly a spectacle to behold.

"The door has opened…" He said quietly, a soft "What?" escaping my lips as I looked at the silver haired boy as if he was insane. To say such a thing was ridiculous, I thought within my mind as Riku now spun around to look at me, emerald eyes locked onto my azures ones. As he spoke, I could hear how determined he sounded, almost scaring me with how excited the boy seemed.

"The door has opened, Sora! Now we can go to the outside world!" He yelled aloud, grinning from ear to ear as he looked at me. Geez Riku, I didn't know you could be this excited about anything, let alone something like this.

Still, I could only shake my head at the boy, some frustration leaking through me now as I took on a pained look. "What are you talking about? We've got to find Kairi!" The words almost exploded from my mouth as the silver-haired boy looked straight back at me, his smile never flinching as I took a step back, even as he extended a hand for me to take.

"Kairi's coming with us! Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see our parents again (geez Riku, forget that I only have one?). There's no turning back, but this may be our only chance! We can't let fear stop us! I'm not afraid of the darkness!" For several seconds, I paused as I looked at the crazed expression on my best friend's face. I could tell how hard it was for him to maintain it, how hard it was to resist…to resist…

"AHAHAHAHAHAH!" Our two voices cried out in unison as we fell onto the sand, laughter erupting through our mouths as I punched the sand with my fist, hoping it would stop me. It was hard to think that the usually so collected Riku could be as loud as he currently was, and he truly did made a fairly convincing actor, I admitted to myself. Still, a play is only as good as its script, and both of us were still cracking up even as our 'director' stepped forward, hands placed on her cute hips.

"Wh-What's so funny you two!? Come on, I thought it was good!" Kairi yelled at us, pouting a bit now as she crossed her arms, clearly a bit upset about our outburst.

I had to remind myself that Kairi's dream was becoming a writer or a playwright, and thus testing her abilities was important towards her desired career. Still, I couldn't help but feel that the little script she had created for us to act out was a bit too hammy, our laughs dying down now as I looked at the girl. Sometimes I forgot how cute Kairi could be, for while she looked good in her school uniform, I greatly preferred her casual attire.

Like us, she was wearing some lighter clothes, consisting of a white shirt and a simple purple skirt, her red hair falling a little lower than her shoulders. I had to laugh, thinking that two years ago we all wore outfits very similar to these, which was probably what inspired us to purchase these larger versions. God, I love my friends.

"S-Sorry Kairi…but really, th-that was too much." Riku said between laughs, the boy almost coughing due to how much we were laughing. I had to admit that Riku's part in the little play she had written entitled "Night of Fate" was by far the best, Riku playing the role of a boy so obsessed with leaving behind his world that he would give himself to the darkness. I mean, Riku is all about exploring and learning new things, but that was just a bit too much for us.

I had to wonder if Kairi really saw Riku like that, bringing another storm of laughter from my mouth as Kairi kicked me a few times while I was down, Riku getting far less of a beating than I was despite his laughter (what sort of justice is that!?). Still, the silver haired boy managed to get back on his feet, brushing himself free of sand as he looked at the clearly upset girl.

"I mean, it wasn't that bad Kairi. Just a bit odd for the characters to be named after us is all. And do I really talk like that?" He asked, my own laughter stopping as I realized that Kairi actually looked a bit discouraged now.

"Yeah, come on Kairi! It was pretty dramatic and all, just it doesn't really work very well in broad daylight! I mean, there's no darkness around, unless you are talking about the shade." I said, placing a hand on her shoulder as she let out a small sigh.

"Yeah, I guess you are right…I don't know, I guess I named them after us because, well, I really like you guys…I really like being together with you two."

Aww, there goes Kairi on one of her little speeches, although in all fairness I felt the same. "I guess…" Kairi looked away now, and I had to wonder if I really had seen a tear in her eyes. "I mean, Sora and I are entering our third year, and you are going to be a senior, Riku. After next year, you'll go off to college, and it's only another year after that when…hey!" Kairi cried out, looking both fierce and adorable now as Riku poked her nose, the girl cutely brushing her nose as if to wipe away the sensation created by our friend's finger.

"Kairi, relax. Summer vacation just started today. We have all this time, plus it's not like we don't hang out, I don't know, every day during the school year. Then there's next summer, and if you really think I'll be more than a few hours away for college, you'd think wrong. Sure, we might see each other less, but our hearts will all be connected." He said, both Kairi and myself gasping as he said the last line, although the next phase of our reactions were totally different as I started to crack up again. Kairi responded by whacking me on the head, after saying she could use something like that in her script.

"Riku has a good point though, Kairi! We still have seventy six days left this summer alone, and I'm not even counting today! We might all get jobs, but there's no way that will restrict our time together. We are all inseparable, remember?" I said, flashing my trademark grin known to make the ladies swoon (or rather, it really should), and much to my surprise, Kairi nodded, a small smile now gracing her pretty face.

"You're right…I'm just being dumb, now aren't I? Thanks Sora, Riku." She said, now picking up her script as she continued to write within it, quickly getting back to bossy mode as she forced us to practice for three hours straight, although she was at least kind enough to provide us with some lemonade and sandwiches when it was time for dinner (my favorite time).

It wasn't much longer after that when we found ourselves at our usual spot: a curved, paopu tree. It wasn't so much the legend behind the fruit that brought us to it, but rather, the shape of the tree, allowing for all of us to sit along the trunk, even though Riku always chose to stand and try his best to look badass against it (sadly, this attracts far more girls than my grin has). As per usual, I sat in the center while Riku stood to my left and Kairi sat to my right, the three of us smiling as we enjoyed the sunset.

"You know, Kairi and I found a place just like this on the Destiny Islands." Riku said quietly, Kairi giving a slight nod as they both laughed at my shocked face. Their trip there had four years ago, so why choose now to tell me such a detail? I quickly recalled why as I remembered what we had been doing moments before, "Night of Fate" taking place on said islands now that I remembered a few of the stage notes that Kairi had written up for us.

"Don't worry Sora, we wish you could have been there too." Oh, what kind, warmhearted friends I had- "That way it wouldn't have been me who stepped in the lobster trap by accident." Okay, scratch that. Still, Riku's words had gotten a giggle out of Kairi, a small smile coming to my face as I played scapegoat for a bit longer.

"It's a lot warmer there, Sora." Kairi said with a small smile, the realization now coming to mind that Kairi had probably started working on her script way back then, probably because she could plan things out the way she liked. "The 'Children's' Island is really awesome too. They even have a secret cave in the back, and there are hundreds of drawings there! Riku and I even were able to contribute!" What!? Riku and Kairi doing something else without me? That just plain sucked! And the worst thing was they hadn't even mentioned it until just now! So much for best friends always stick by one another.

"Yeah…the Destiny Islands must have been nice, huh?" Almost at once, I could tell that they had heard the hurt I had managed to subtly slip into my voice (who would have thought that drama class would ever pay off), their expressions falling a bit. "But hey, I almost saw them once! Remember the raft-"

On second thought, maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the event that neither of them will ever let me live down, although even today they react to it oh so differently.

And people think Roxas losing his job was bad.

But alas, I too have my own embarrassing story that I will never be allowed to forget. Well, for the longest of times, the three of us had wanted to go to the infamous Destiny Islands that Wakka always told us about. So naturally, when Kairi and I were eight (Riku being nine at the time), the three of us had the bright idea to construct a raft that would take us off to see the tropical islands. Unlike in Kairi's play (seriously, spaceships made of something called gummi blocks? What's next, swords shaped like keys? Oh wait…), the Destiny Islands exist in the same world as Twilight Town (and for the record, I'm not sure if there are other planets out there that can sustain life), so it seemed logical enough to take the sea route.

Construction of the raft had been exhilarating to my then eight year old self as the three of us worked every day to gather the wood and reed up, all the while having fun and turning our trip into a game. Each day we'd race to see who could be captain for the day, the captain of course allowed to boss around the other two and head construction. After a day of me being captain, we realized it was best if Riku was our leader (so what if I broke the first raft…)

With Riku heading the project, every day was a new adventure as we came closer and closer to our goal. The raft that had started out as a single long log quickly grew in size, eventually consisting of several dozen logs as we finished it up. Eventually, all she needed was a name.

I don't care if Kairi wins hundreds of awards for the brilliant screenplays she might wrote, or even if Riku becomes some sort of swimming champion of the world. The fact of the matter is that I hold the glorious title of "Raft Namer" in our group, the highest distinction I believe I have ever owned. That glorious race saw to the decimation of my two companions as I reached the finish line, and even now I tend to win when it comes to speed.

Everything was all set after that. The raft was named (Wave if you must know. Hey, it's a better name than anything those two thought up!), the crew was ready, and all we needed was the morning sun to lead our way. Being the wise people that they are, Riku and Kairi had returned home to get sleep, although I had different plans in mind.

Needless, to say, it wasn't very fun for me when the tide rose and I was found eight hours later drifting five miles away from the coast of Twilight Town with a bad cold.

"Geez Sora, there really is never a dull moment while you are around, huh?" Riku said, the older teenager laughing a bit as he recalled the events. Thanks Riku, I will totally take that as a compliment! The silver haired boy had found my solo voyage hilarious after learning how much trouble I had gotten into, not even caring as our raft was 'confiscated' from us by his parents (I could have sworn I saw some familiar logs in his fireplace that year…) Riku had taken things well, but Kairi on the other hand-

"Yow! Kairi, you can't hit me every single time we bring that up!" So you say, Sora, but she's been pretty good about it these last eight years. While Riku reveled in how funny it had been to see me stuck at sea (seriously, is my best friend a sadist or what?!), Kairi had been brought to tears, terrified that I had been lost to the sea. Needless to say, our reunion had been quite a spectacle as she took turns between hugging and pummeling me with her small fists, tears within her eyes the entire time.

Even now, I could tell how hard it was for Kairi to keep the floodgates closed as she looked away, clearly still upset about how stupid I had been that night (I admit, lying on the raft when the tides changed really wasn't the best of ideas…). Ironically, it all goes to show that Kairi actually does care about me if she can get this emotional even eight years later about such a silly event. "Geez Sora, if there's any event that illustrates how dumb you are, it has to be that one."

You know Kairi, I'd certainly be hurt by that if I didn't see that tear in your eyes! Wait, it isn't a good thing to make Kairi cry, is it?

"Is your mom doing alright, Sora?" Way for Riku to come to my rescue! She hadn't exactly been thrilled upon the coast guard returning with my wet, shivering body either (I don't think she's ever yelled so much in her life), evidenced by her grounding me for eight months (a month for each hour I had been out at sea). Of course, I felt terrible afterwards for making both her and Kairi worry about that, although really it was disappointing my mom that hurt the worst.

Stupid deadbeat dad, leaving my mom before I was even born! Why would he leave her anyway? She's so kind, and I've always thought she is really pretty too. Maybe it had to do with the fact that my mom had only been eighteen at the time (damn, that's Axel's age!), but he had been a complete ass leaving my mom like that.

Of course, a guy as awesome as me wouldn't just be born out of any normal woman (on second thought that sounds really weird, doesn't it?). My mom is a great, caring woman who has worked hard all her life to ensure a stable living for the two of us. Despite her good grades, she chose me over college (oh mom, you are so cool!) and took as many jobs as she could, regardless of the low pay.

"She's fine, Riku. Although I'm sure I can thank your family for that, huh?" I said with a grin, Riku nodding back at me as we continued to watch the sunset before us. Riku's parents had been best friends with my mother during their school days, and even now they continued to support her, be it in terms of purchasing the house I knew as home or sending over groceries when my mom was busy with work. It helps that his dad is a lawyer and his mom an architect, although I'm still curious as to what Riku is going to end up as. A professional swimmer? Mayor of Twilight Town? Then again, that would put him against Kairi's dad in terms of the election process, wouldn't it?

"Come on Kairi, why can't you tell us?" Thanks for snapping me out of another daydream, Riku. As I re-joined the conversation, I found Kairi blushing ever so slightly as she shook her head at my best friend, clearly unwilling to tell what sort of job she had taken.

"I already told you that I'm not telling you, Riku!" Kairi said, sticking out her tongue at us as she crossed her arms, daring us to guess what sort of job she had taken.

Of course, in doing so she had asked two teenage boys to guess what sort of thing Kairi, a teenage girl would do. Oh, I hated this game, having to wait longer than the other boy before saying the perverted-

"Kairi, aren't you a bit young to be a stripper?" Oh crap, that had just slipped out all too easily. Even as I slowly turned my face to look at her, I knew I was doomed. The large blush that started to appear on her face wasn't even cute to me as I jumped off my seat on the tree and started to run for my life. It was good that I did, because Kairi came right after me.

"What the hell does that mean Sora!? Are you really that stupid?" Hey Kairi, you are the one getting all worked up over it! Even as she chased after me, I found a plan forming in my heads to quite literally cool her down, my legs leading me towards the water now as she continued to follow after me. "Apologize for saying that right now!"

Good Kairi, walk right into my trap I thought as I started to run a bit into the water, not even minding that my shoes and clothing would be soaked. I'd just make sure that Kairi fell in the water too, and then all would be-

Quickly spinning around, I found myself blushing a bit as I held Kairi by the shoulders, the red-haired girl still blushing and snarling at me even as I pushed her back now, the girl falling onto her bottom a few inches away from the water, only her feet going under now as she showed shock at my sudden action. "Sora, that's no way to treat me! And calling me a-"

"Wh-White shirt." I said, not even thinking about anything else now as Kairi's face turned into one of confusion, followed by a phase of embarrassment as her cute blush returned, the girl realizing exactly what I meant by that. Had her white shirt made contact with the water, well, let's just say it would have been even more obvious that she was a girl.

"Oh…right…thanks Sora…" She said, giving me a small smile as she looked away, brushing a few strands of her hair out of her face. Wow, Kairi looked pretty cute like this…wait, what am I thinking? Thankfully to break up the brief and awkward moment, Kairi started splashing me now as she pouted. "Still, what the heck was with that stripper comment!?"

* * *

As per usual, it was just Riku and I as we headed home, Kairi having taken a turn a few minutes back to retreat into her own home. For whatever reason, Riku had a grin on his face tonight. "You know that I don't trust your grins, Riku. Tends to mean you are up to something, and usually at my expense." I said as I looked at the silver-haired teen, Riku giving his head a gentle shake as his blue eyes met my own. "So, what's up with that silly smirk of yours? I haven't done anything too stupid tonight, have I?" Just keep digging yourself deeper, Sora.

"It's nothing really, Sora. Just I was thinking about this summer, all the things we might be able to accomplish. We finally have freedom; finally have something to strive for. I feel we should make the best of our time. After all, there was some truth in what Kairi said. After next year, I won't be with you two that much, and after that, I don't want to think about how you are going to turn out. Kairi puts it best when she says 'Sora's completely hopeless without us,' you know?" Riku said, starting to laugh as I felt my jaw dropping.

Why did Kairi have to be so cruel to me, saying things like that? It just isn't very good for a boy's self esteem is all!

As I tried to conjure up a witty comeback, I realized we had already reached home, Riku patting me on the back as he said good night, walking towards his own home. My small, single-story home isn't much next to the two floored colossus that was Riku's, but my mother and I keep it tidy enough, and I rarely envy any of my friends for all of the cool stuff they had. I don't have too much, but I have what I need, and life with my mother has taught me that it is enough.

Knowing that my mom was working the graveyard shift again, I quickly shuffled through my pockets until I found my key, opening the door quickly as I slipped into my home. Locking the door behind me, I made my way to my room, moving through the dark home I had grown up in until I reached my bedroom, the lights flickering on as I hit the switch.

"Woah…I need to clean this place up a bit…" I thought aloud to myself, rummaging through the various clothes that obscured the floor, reaching my bed now as I let out a long yawn. Usually I'd brush my teeth before going to bed, but today had been quite long and the thought my mom seeing my finals the next morning didn't exactly fill me with energy. Of course, I had forgotten to turn the light off, so I found myself making the long, arduous trek back to the light switch as I flicked it off, the soft mattress below me quickly easing all the pain that the dreaded D created within me as I dozed off to sleep, wondering what in the world to do about getting a job.

Seventy six days left.

* * *

**I'll leave everyone at that for now! I hope it was alright! If there are any big errors or so, feel free to point them out, and I'll do my best to fix them up for a re-upload or so. Anyway, I'm super busy at school these days, but hopefully I can get the next chapter up really soon (it is almost complete as is). Anyway, thanks for reading! Feel free to review or so as well, although I'm not going to force anyone!**


	2. Not a Nobody

**Hey everyone! Posting the second chapter up now! I had it pretty much ready for last night, but it's gonna take a lot longer for the next since school is really picking up in terms of difficulty and workload (although the next chapter is nearing completion!). Wish me luck! Anyway, Roxas is now at our head as we start off the boy's summer vacation, although this one sure looks to be longer than six days!**

* * *

"Take care Sora, Kairi, Riku. I'll catch you guys around later." Giving one final wave to my cousin and his best friends, I turned back to my own spiky-haired companion. Axel gave a grunt and a grin as he shrugged his shoulders, the two of us heading up Market Street once again.

Some things just never change, huh?

As per usual, my childhood friend continued to tower over me by a good foot, although I simply told myself that Axel was un-naturally tall (I'm not that short…). His lanky frame only seemed to accentuate our physical differences, and this became even more obvious as I looked into a window, giving a brief smile as I gazed upon my reflection. Running a hand through my spiky blonde hair, I watched my image carefully, wanting to look as good as possible for my trip to Naminé's home.

Of course, Axel had to ruin the moment as always as he patted me on the back, my reflexes kicking in at once as I pulled away from the jolly red-head.

"Geez Roxas, no reason to get all full of yourself. You already have Naminé, no need to try and get other girls fawning all over you." Even as I rolled my eyes, I knew Axel's remark had accomplished exactly what he had desired. Already I felt the color rushing to my face, my head turning away just enough so that Axel was not in my field of vision as we walked along the street. Axel just continued to smirk at me, before playfully throwing a punch at my back. "You know that boyfriends are supposed to be, you know, happy when a girl accepts the whole dating thing, right? I mean, knowing you two as long as I have, you are practically destined to marry at this point!"

M-Marry? Me and Naminé? What would ever give him that idea? As much as I like the guy, Axel can just be a bit too much sometimes, and this was clearly one of them. It had been hard enough to ask Naminé out despite the fact that I care about her more than anything else in the world, but to even think of her blushing form walking down the aisle…

I suppose that my face had become as red as Axel's hair as he continued to laugh, although I had to wonder why I really felt so embarrassed.

Naminé and I have been close since childhood. We have virtually grown up together with our parents being so close, and I cherish every memory I possess of the blonde beauty. Our friendship had just developed into something more recently, and that's where we are now: two best friends of the opposite gender starting to take it steady.

"Speaking of Naminé, is she feeling any better?" It was rare for Axel to ever show much emotion in his voice, but almost at once I identified the genuine worry within his question. Axel had also been there with us early in our lives, acting like both a big brother and a best friend to the two of us. Maybe that was why he hadn't minded getting arrested for setting off fireworks the night I finally asked Naminé out, his master plan since childhood finally coming to fruition.

Wait a minute, this is Axel I'm talking about; I think I'm giving him way too much credit.

"She's doing better now, although I'm still worried about her. I'm just glad she only got sick after she finished all of her finals. It would be a huge pain for her otherwise…" Naminé was an excellent student, doing about the same as Kairi in terms of grades. However, unlike the red-head who she was best friends with, Naminé is a prodigy in the field of art, even holding classes at her family art studio three days a week. Heck, she has her own exhibits in a few local museums and galleries!

Of course, this week hadn't proven the best for her so far, the girl having caught a bad cold as it would seem from the symptoms she reported. As such, for the last three days, I had been spending a lot of time with her, doing my best to care for the girl I love above all else. In fact, I had been on my way to visit her before Axel had shown up, although I could already tell that he wasn't going to be around for all that much longer.

"That's a relief then. I trust her big strong boyfriend to take care of her then." He said with a grin as he punched my shoulder, a small smile coming to my own face as I returned the friendly gesture. "Six o'clock tonight, remember? Sorry Roxas, I just have to do a bit of work first. On that note, I wanted to talk to you about a job later tonight. I'll buy the ice cream this time." With a wave of his hand, Axel started to walk away, my eyes turning to follow my best friend.

Even if Axel doesn't look like he takes all that much seriously, I know that he just isn't very comfortable showing it. He cares for Naminé and me the same way we care for him, although as usual, Axel had to play tough guy. It made me smile just thinking about it.

* * *

"Naminé!" My heart almost stopped as I saw the girl in question lying on the floor, her breathing strained. Hesitation a long lost concept, I was immediately at the side of the blonde-haired girl as I helped her back into bed, fear flickering through my eyes as I attempted to aid my girlfriend. "Stop it Naminé! You need bed rest and lots of it!" I felt bad for a second after yelling at the girl, but I knew that I only had her best intentions in mind. It was bad enough that Naminé had a cold, but if she were to continue moving around in her state, things would have just got worse.

Shaking my head a little as her gentle blue eyes looked into mine, I felt all the anxiety and fear simply melt away, a small smile fighting for control of my lips as I looked at the petit girl who I now placed in bed, my eyes quickly studying the girl who I knew so well (not like that, you perverts). The girl's bright blonde hair fell just below her neck, her small, frail fingers gently wrapping around my hands as she gave me a weak smile. Then again, what was I expecting? I could tell she felt like crap, having to lie there all day in pain. Colds aren't exactly fun.

"Roxas…I'm glad you could come." The voice of an angel filled my ears as I nodded, a real smile gracing my face now as she closed her eyes, giving me a peck on the cheek now as I did the same for her. Even as color rushed out faces, my smile failed to falter, my love for Naminé too strong to let embarrassment get in the way.

Well, while I was around her anyway. You try having virtually every friend you have constantly ask if you've gotten to any of the bases with her yet (for the record, no we have not)!

I mean, I love Naminé, but it's been strange for us, finally admitting that we see each other as more than just friends after over a dozen years of knowing one another. "How was your last day as a sophomore?" I couldn't help but feel pangs of guilt, realizing that Naminé had spent the last day of her second year stuck in bed, not even allowed to sketch or draw due to the strict orders of her parents. Still, I couldn't help but agree to a degree: Naminé needed to spend all of her energy on recovering.

"Oh, it was fine Nami. Nothing all that special, just going around, saying good bye to all our teachers and learning how we did on our finals. Oh, that explains why your parents aren't home, huh…" I said quietly, knowing that Naminé must feel terrible due to her inability to thank her art teacher for the well spent year. "Don't worry; we'll see everyone again this fall, right? Spend the present resting up so that we can spend a wonderful summer vacation with one another. I promise I'll take you to Sunset Terrace a few times…I know you really love sketching on that hill. Besides, I hear anxiety just makes these things worse."

With a simple nod, Naminé remained still, a small smile on her beautiful face as she looked at me. It was too hard not to smile back at her as I ran a hand through her silky blonde hair, both of our blushes deepening a little as I did so.

As my eyes started to travel from the beautiful girl to her room, I couldn't help but look at the white walls covered with sketches and pictures that Naminé had created herself, each a masterpiece in its own right. Landscape paintings, portraits, and even still-life's adorned the vibrant white walls, and it was always nice to see that I was included in some of those portraits. Each time, it was the same as looking in a mirror, Naminé's detail unmatched when it came to artwork.

There's no way she won't make it big.

"Oh right! Nami, I got you something!" I said with a smile, knowing that the treat I had brought her would certainly assist with her recovery. Naminé smiled weakly as she took the small box I handed her, eyes widening before resting gently on the piece of lemon meringue pie that lay within. She didn't even have to say it was her favorite; of course I knew what the girl I had grown up with liked. Still, it didn't stop her from placing a peck on my cheek as she thanked me, saying she'd eat it later.

"Thank you, Roxy (for the record, anyone who isn't Naminé that calls me that is dead)." She said quietly with a smile, coughing a little as I quickly fetched her a cup of water. She graciously took it from me, already appearing relieved as she set the tall glass down after taking several sips. "Thank you for taking care of me like this…I love you, Roxas."

* * *

It had been hard to leave Naminé back at her room, but thankfully her parents arrived home a few minutes before my departure, thanking me for watching over her while they were gone. It was hard for us to tell if they encouraged our deeper relationship or not, although I'd think our parents would be overjoyed if Naminé and I were to marry.

There was that word again.

Just thinking about it almost overwhelmed me, the already innocent and lovely Naminé wearing the dress of absolute purity, a bright, teary smile on her face as she approaches-

I have to stop thinking about these things.

Rushing to Central Station, I darted into the side entrance rather than the main door reserved for people who actually needed to use the train. I paused briefly as I thought about the train to Sunset Terrace, knowing that my two brothers were both there at Terrace Academy, their summer vacation not starting for a few more days. I wanted to see them again, even though they had visited home just a week before. Ven was as cheerful and bright as ever, and Vanitas, well, he's a rogue as always. Regardless, they are my brothers, and as I started up the clock tower steps, I wondered if the three of us might spend quality time together this summer.

Standing atop the clock tower, I took in a very familiar sight before me: Twilight Town. Almost the entire town could be seen from up there, be it the ocean, the various districts of the town, and even that spooky mansion that lay far off in the forests.

I recalled fondly the dares between Axel and me to go there on Halloween and how Naminé had been brought to tears at the idea of a ghost getting us. For her sake, I had convinced Axel to cut it out and leave the area with us, although that had been four years ago. I wonder, what really is in the mansion? Is it truly abandoned?

I'll have to figure it out one of these days.

Thankfully, I didn't have to wait very long before I started to hear footsteps as my best friend ascended the clock tower, a full three minutes after the bells had rung (they aren't so bad if you cover your ears). I forced myself to hold back a smile as Axel waved at me, the young man taking a seat to my right with a grin. "You're early." He said quietly, placing his backpack down behind us as he started to look within.

"No, you're just late." I shot right back at him, Axel looking up at me with a small grin as he shrugged his shoulders. Of course, my rather rude comment bounced off of him as per usual, a smile breaking onto my face as he handed me the plastic-wrapped item that he knew I desired, already opening up his own as he showed me the light blue colored ice cream. I eagerly tore open my own, the taste of sea-salt ice cream filling my mouth a moment later.

For the record, it is actually really good, but no one is willing to give it a chance. I'm still trying to get Naminé to try it for herself. Some people don't think salty and sweet work together, but I feel those people just don't have an open mind.

Sitting atop the tower with Axel, licking and chomping away at our ice cream, I couldn't help but hope that our time together wouldn't come to an end the way I knew it would. It was a bit sad for me to think about how in less than eighty days, Axel wouldn't be with Nami or me anymore, or at least not at school. "Hey Axel…about college next year…are you-"

With a heavy sigh and an amused look to his fiery face, Axel simply stared at me, shaking his head from side to side as he raised his arms a bit. What was this about? "Didn't I tell you, Roxas? I'm not going to college, alright? Look, I know that my grades were good enough to get into some of those 'safety' schools, but I'm not interested in any of that…school just drags you down, you know…that's right, I wanted to talk to you about that."

Axel had pretty much lost me on the first sentence as worry gripped my heart. Axel wasn't going to college? What about his future? What about getting a job? What about financial support, starting a family, and-

"Woah, chill out man." Axel said as he slapped me on the back, my jumbled thoughts leaving my head as I balanced myself, not wanting to die. I had almost fallen off the tower several times, and if it wasn't for Axel's quick reflexes, I wouldn't be here anymore. "Look Roxas, I know you and Naminé are good at the whole education thing, but I'm not interested. Besides, I already have a job. A job that I was hoping you'd maybe help with for the summer as well."

"But Axel, don't you think you should…" I stopped myself there, knowing it was pretty useless to continue arguing with my best friend. He is just as stubborn as I am after all, and that is pretty stubborn. Still, the prospect of taking a job alongside my best friend certainly did spark some interest within me as I looked at him, not knowing that my eyes gave away my curiosity.

"A job? What sort of job? How long have you had a job for, and why haven't you told me?" Of course, this explained the countless times when Axel had run off to go work on 'stuff', although in all honesty, I thought he was dating a girl all that time…

"A few months actually, although now it is going to be a full time job, you know? I've been working with The Organization. Never heard of them? Well, I'm not too surprised. They are a group of journalists and investigators bent on learning the 'truth' rather than having to put up with all the gossip and rumors that go around in the world through the discovery of facts and the like. It sounds a bit odd I know, and I can ensure you that some of the actual cases I've been on have been strange to say the least. Thankfully, our boss is a zany enough guy to pay us four hundred munny an hour for the job."

I had to stop myself from letting my jaw drop all the way down the side of Central Station. Four hundred munny an hour!? That was eight times minimal wage here in Twilight Town. With that kind of munny, I'd be able to take Naminé wherever she wanted to go, buy her whatever her heart desired, and even have way less worries when it comes to funding for college.

Heck, that was only a little less than what my parents make! It was almost too good to be true. "Of course, you'll need to go in for an interview, my eager little friend. I already dropped your name to some of my superiors, so if you present yourself at your best, I'm pretty sure you'll get the job without a problem. What do you say?"

"The Organization, huh…do you think I could go for the interview tonight?" Axel read my eagerness as he laughed, patting me on the back as I simply gave a genuine smile. Once again, Axel had pulled through for me, the offer for this high-paying job truly a blessing. I had to wonder how Axel had been spending his munny recently, or maybe he had been doing the smart thing and saving it up (no wonder he wasn't worried about finances).

Finishing our ice cream, we descended the tower just as nightfall came, Axel leading the way as we traversed several side streets, chatting the entire time.

* * *

It was rare for me to travel into the business district of the city, and as such I was amazed at the fact that The Organization's headquarters was located in an area of such high prestige. The skyscraper that loomed over us appeared quite expensive and exquisite, light currently coming from only the highest of floors and the entrance. Grinning, Axel stepped forward, pulling out a small key card as he waved it before a scanner, causing the doors to open before use. Even as he pocketed the little card, I noticed an "VIII" upon it, much to my confusion.

"Welcome back, Axel. This must be the boy you spoke of." My eyes quickly fell upon the speaker's face as the man smiled, approaching the two of us as he stretched out a hand for me to shake. With a smile of my own, I promptly shook it, much to his delight judging by his expression. "You must be Roxas, then. Axel has said nothing but good things about you. My name is Marluxia, Number 11 of the Organization."

I couldn't help but bat an eyebrow as he said such a cryptic thing, until I remembered the number on Axel's card. So these numbers were apparently important, although exactly why they were was still lost to me.

Although I refused to admit it, I found Marluxia to be a bit effeminate, what with the shoulder length pink hair, pale complexion and rather thin build, although after shaking his hand, I knew all too well that there was great strength within that body of his.

"Thanks, Marluxia. I was hoping that I could be interviewed for that job here, i-if that is alright." Maybe it was the business suit he wore that intimidated me (stupid power positions), or perhaps it was the incredibly high salary offered to someone not even in his junior year, but I admit I was nervous, despite how badly I wanted the job. Marluxia simply laughed a little as he nodded, already making his way to the elevator as he hit the button for us, Axel patting me on the back as he walked with me to join the pink-haired man.

"I'm sure you'll do fine and get the job easily enough. I hope you aren't afraid of heights, Roxas. The Organization only owns the top two floors of this building. You'll find our boss at the top. I hope that when I see you next, you'll be one of us." He said, sending me nothing but good vibes as I nodded and returned the smile. It wasn't too much longer until the elevator arrived, Axel hitting the top floor button as the door started to close.

Oddly enough, the last thing I saw before the doors finally shut was Marluxia arranging some flowers. Who would have thought?

I wouldn't call the elevator ride eventful, but Axel was entertaining as always as he told me about some of the other job benefits aside from the high pay I'd be receiving. "Some of the higher ups are friends with some of the local bartenders, so you can get a discount if you go there. Of course, since you are under age, I guess it doesn't apply to you, huh?"

I shrugged off his comment with ease. Unlike you Axel, I'm mature enough to know that I can't drink. Don't think I forgot about your last Halloween Party.

"Anyway, I think I'm going to have to leave you out here, so good luck buddy." Axel said with a smile, quickly pressing the button for the floor beneath the top one as the elevator came to a halt, my friend laughing as he looked at the shocked expression on my face. "It takes forty-seven seconds to get to this floor. Got it memorized?" He joked as the door shut, worry starting to build within me once again now as the elevator quickly reached the top floor.

The door opened to a rather wide office space, a handful of cubicles seeming to spread around a rather large room, the door several yards ahead of me. As I stepped out of the elevator, I quickly found myself confronted with yet another man in a suit, this one studying me closely with his menacing yellow eyes. With blue hair that fell to his mid back and a large X-shaped scar across his face, I knew I certainly would not be forgetting this face anytime soon.

"H-Hello there. My name is Roxas, and I'm here for a job interview. You wouldn't happen to be the boss around here, would you?" Damn, of all times to sound nervous, why now? This was a big chance for me to prove myself to my family, and even Nami now that I thought about it.

The man looked indifferent as he continued to stare at me, clearly not as friendly or social as I might have liked. "I wouldn't be. I'm Saïx, vice president of The Organization. Axel spoke of you briefly to me last week. He spoke quite highly of you. If that's the case, I trust that your interview will go well. The President is currently taking a call at the moment, but I will admit you when he finishes." I nodded, thanking the man quietly as I stood around outside the door, my eyes occasionally traveling to Saïx's as the blue haired man continued to stare at me.

"So Saïx…is it alright if I call you that?" I asked as I continued to look at the man, Saïx simply giving a brief nod as he continued to stare at me. "Do you know Axel well by any chance? He's actually my best friend, which is probably why he wanted me to get the job…ehehe…" Usually I was tougher than this, but I guess there was just so much on the line that I didn't want to come off as brash or impulsive, two adjectives that Axel often associates with me.

Betraying my image of the man, Saïx gave me the smallest of grins, his yellow eyes seeming to glint a little as he continued to watch me. "I'm aware of your relationship with Axel. I was two years ahead of him in school, explaining why you have probably never heard of me. I guess you could say we were friends, but since then we've developed a more professional relationship."

Well, Axel sure does love to keep me up to date on who he hangs around with. If he had ever mentioned Saïx before, I honestly didn't remember, and I certainly had not seen this blue-haired man before in my life. Studying my facial reactions, Saïx seemed a bit amused, although all emotion vanished as he looked over towards the door before us. "You may enter, Roxas."

What is with these people and their magical timing abilities? First Axel with the elevator, and now Saïx with the phone call. True, Axel had explained how he had pulled his little trick off, so maybe Saïx just had super good hearing…shaking the thoughts off, I opened the door, closing it behind me as Saïx gave me one last curt nod, something I took as him wishing me good luck.

Having seen two men in black suits so far, I wasn't exactly expecting for their leader to be wearing anything different. Of course, it was thus that much more of a surprise as I finally met the head of the Organization within the dark room, lit only by starlight from the large window beyond him. Wearing an all-white suite, the slightly tanned silver-haired man now turned to look at me, his face expressionless as his amber eyes studied my form. "H-Hello sir, my name is Roxas. I was hoping for a job interview…"

* * *

"Axel! I did it!" My voice reverberated around the lobby as I reached the bottom of the skyscraper, Axel smirking as he clasped hands with me. To say I was excited was an understatement, as knowledge of my salary was almost too much for me to take. "I-I actually got the job! This is awesome!" I cried out, not even caring that I was boasting around the two men who were already employed here. I could be as arrogant as I wanted right now, and no one would care!

"Congratulations, Roxas. I look forward to working with you. You'll need this from now on, though." Marluxia said as he handed me a key card identical to the one Axel possessed save for the number which read 'XIII'. Smiling, I quickly pocketed the card key, knowing I'd need it to enter the building. "You are now Number XIII, Roxas. Although it is fine for us to refer to one another by name, you must realize the nature of our job. It is best if none of our names leak. I'm sure Axel will fill you in on all you need to know. Xemnas has informed me that you will start here in two days, so make sure to report on time, in a suit of course."

Shaking my hand again, Marluxia returned to tending the flowers, something he seemed to take great joy in judging by the look on his face.

"Not bad, Roxas. It seems I've taught you well." Axel said with a smirk, hands behind his jagged hair as he walked alongside me, the keycard in my hands now taking up all of my attention. So, I was part of The Organization now, huh…I had a well paying job for the summer that would let me do whatever I wanted with Naminé. I had hoped I could get a job, but I hadn't dreamed of anything this good. Life was looking up for a change.

"Well Roxas, I'll see you at work then. Tomorrow I'll be busy with Organization business I'm afraid. I'll introduce you to everyone on Wednesday, alright? See you around." He said as he pat me on the back once again, a smile born on my face as I watched Axel leave, my good friend simply tossing his Frisbee up and down.

Something wasn't right here though…I had a new job; Naminé was showing signs of recovery…

"Oh crap! The band!" How idiotic could I be? I had been so caught up with Axel and my new job that I had forgotten about the Wave Gigs: a band made up of several members of my best friend circle. "Damn, Hayner is going to be pissed!" I yelled aloud to no one in particular as I started running down the street, hoping I could reach the beach before the performance ended. Just the thought of upsetting my friends was enough to upset me as I continued to rush ahead, not eve caring if I ran into anything along the way.

That was, until I actually did.

"Ah!" came a very soft yet scared voice, the two of us falling after the collision as clarity returned to me, possible due to the bump on the back of my head that required my attention.

Great move Roxas: run straight into some innocent young girl will you? Shaking my head a few times, I looked over at the girl in question, the realization that I had never met her before quickly born within my mind.

Much like Naminé and Kairi, she was rather thin and had quite a small frame, although I realized I must have been only a few inches taller than her (come on growth spurt…). Blue eyes so very similar to those of my girlfriend and her best friend starred back at me, but within these eyes there was fear and sadness. As she started to rise, she shook her head as if wanting nothing to do with me, the girl's raven hair flowing almost to her shoulders as she stood, left arm bracing the right as she turned to leave.

"H-Hey! I'm sorry, I didn't look where I was going!" I said, trying my best to conjure up a smile as I apologized to the dark-haired girl. Much to my surprise, she didn't walk away, her sad eyes simply looking down at her shoes now. Just like the shirt she wore, they were black, creating a stark contrast to the white shorts the girl wore.

I took the silence as if it was my turn to speak again, taking a step closer to her, although I made no attempt to touch her. "A-Are you alright? I didn't ram into you that hard, did I? Sorry, I was just thinking about-"

"It doesn't matter…it doesn't matter if I'm hurt…" Those were not words I was expecting to hear as I looked at the sad girl, her head turning as she hazy blue orbs studied my face. Tears had already started to form in her eyes as she shook her head, still clutching her arm where I noticed a bruise had formed.

Way to go Roxas, make a girl cry why don't you.

"I'm just a nobody…someone that shouldn't be here…someone that just doesn't matter."

The word emo came to mind as she spoke, but I shook it away, seeing the way her face genuinely displayed this great sadness. Something was wrong with this girl, and it wasn't just the fact that I had caused her to receive a bruise.

"Hey…don't talk like that…you aren't a nobody, so there's no need to think like that. I'm sorry about our rather chaotic introduction to one another. I'm Roxas." I said, doing my best to smile again at the girl as she took a step back. Ugh, I'm scaring her away now, aren't I. Smooth as usual, Roxas. Just scare off the shy-

"I'm Xion." She said quietly, having re-taken the step towards me, although she still refused to make eye contact as she spoke, clutching her arm. "I'm sorry about speaking like that…I only just moved here, and things haven't been going that well for me." Well, that certainly did explain why she was acting so shy, although the comment about her not mattering still irked me a bit. "It is nice to meet you, Roxas." She said quietly, finally looking up at me as she forced a small smile, something I happily returned.

"I'm sorry about bumping into you…it seems you got a bad bruise because of me, huh? Is there anything I can do to make it up to you, Xion?" She seemed nice enough, if not a little down and sad at the moment. Plus, if she really was new to Twilight Town, she wouldn't have many friends. I hoped that being nice to her would let me be one of them.

"Well, I was hoping, if you really don't mind…I haven't had anything to eat all night. Turns out I forgot most of my munny at home. I'm sorry Roxas, and I promise to pay you back as-"

I didn't know what made me laugh a little as I started to run away, knowing exactly what to get Xion. Only a few yards away did I realize that she probably thought I was playing some cruel joke on her as I turned around, my heart nearly shattering as I saw the dejected look on her face.

"Don't worry Xion!" I cried out, her face changing to one of shock that quickly settled into a smile as she realized that I hadn't just run away from her for the sake of getting away. As if I'd leave her alone in the dark.

Racing ahead, I quickly arrived at Scrooge's Ice Cream, the grumpy old man in question cracking a smile as I ran in. I mean, Axel and I did give him a lot of business, and it seemed like the three of us were the only ones who really enjoyed his trademark sea-salt ice cream. "One bar of the usual!" I said, quickly paying the munny as the man gave me the ice-cream bar.

I found Xion exactly where I had left her, the raven-haired girl managing to crack a smile as she turned to me. "Here, Xion. Now, the flavor might take some getting used to, but I promise that it is really good!" I said, handing her the light blue ice-cream bar as she looked it over, before taking a lick. I almost had to laugh at her reaction as she pulled it away as if it were some foreign delicacy, although I supposed that Scrooge's secret recipe would be to those from out of town. "Not a fan, huh? Stay there and I'll go get you a Chocolate one-"

"It's salty and sweet…I've never had anything like it." She said quietly, my eyes quickly turning to her as she took a small bite from the ice cream bar after starring at it curiously.

Was this for real? A girl who actually liked sea salt ice cream? Even Naminé wasn't willing to give it a try! "Thank you, Roxas. I'll pay you back the next time I see you, alright?"

"No need for that." I shot back, realizing that with my new salary, I could stuff my freezer with hundreds of ice cream bars. "That flavor is only available here in Twilight Town. Actually, not a lot of people even like it here! My best friend and I do though, so we actually get that flavor at half price! Which is great, since it is my favorite and all." Was she smiling at me?

Finally, she was starting to open up a little! "Well Xion, do you need me to walk you home? I mean, Twilight Town is a pretty big place. I wouldn't want you getting lost!"

"I'm fine, but thank you, Roxas. It was nice meeting you, and thanks for the ice cream." She said quietly as she flashed me a small smile, now walking away from me towards Central Station, the girl either needing to take the last train back to Sunset Terrace, or living around the area. Well, at least she wasn't too far away. She really didn't seem like a bad person at all, which made me question why she had referred to herself as a nobody.

What problems is she dealing with?

"Wait a sec…Roxas? Roxas?" Thankfully someone was around to snap me out of my Xion-induced daze as I quickly turned to the quirky blonde in question, the young man with the mullet grinning as he approached me, Demyx's trademark sitar in its case as he moved towards me. "You know, you shouldn't promise to attend a performance if you aren't going to attend." Oh crap! I had forgotten again! It must have been quite visible how upset I was, as Demyx patted me on the back in the same way Axel usually did. I wouldn't call Demyx a close friend, but he is fun to hang around at times. Plus he is in Wave Gigs along with Hayner, Pence and Olette. "Hey, it's alright. I'm sure you were busy!" Wow, I forgot how naïve this guy could be! I hadn't even opened my mouth!

"Yeah, sorry Demyx. I was busy getting a job for the summer. I was with Axel, and time just flew by. I'm really sorry I couldn't make it though." Yep, Hayner is going to kill me next time he sees me. Out of the band's three performances since conception, I had only attended one. Some friend I was turning out to be.

"Woah woah woah, hold up. You were with Axel looking for a job? You don't mean…" He said, placing a hand in his pocket as he pulled out something I was now familiar with, although I was quite surprised to see that the quirky blonde also had a keycard, although his had a "IX" on it. "So, I guess you've joined up The Organization too, huh? Well, seems we'll be seeing each other a lot more often, number…let's see, if Larxene is twelve, then you must be thirteen!" He said, laughing a bit now as he forcibly shook my hand.

"Axel didn't mention you worked there either. Then again, they did say it was pretty secretive." I said as I shook his hand, although I had to wonder if Larxene was one of the members I'd meet on Wednesday. Still, it was nice to learn that I'd be working with another friendly face, Demyx grinning goofily as he stretched out before me.

"Knowing Axel, he wouldn't say anything, huh? Well, I'll see you around Roxas. Someone needs their beauty sleep. Today was way too much work." Certainly that someone isn't you, Demyx. Still, I didn't speak such a truth aloud as he walked away, yawns echoing down the street as he went along. Demyx, Axel, Marluxia, Saïx and Xemnas…what other people would I be working with? Quite the diverse group, I could tell that much.

Walking home, I found it hard to believe that summer vacation was just about to begin. Already I had found a job, met a new friend, and ensured that when Naminé recovered, we'd have a lot of time to spend together (and a lot of munny to spend on her). For a day that hadn't started out all-that well, things certainly had gotten better.

Changing out of my school uniform (so long, itchy white shirt), I quickly slipped into my pajamas as I got into bed, wondering what the next day of my vacation would bring. "It looks like my summer vacation is just starting…"

Seventy six days left.


End file.
